


Anything for You

by lotorslance



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Illnesses, Lancelot - Freeform, M/M, Non-abusive Lancelot, Soft Lancelot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 00:18:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13282935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lotorslance/pseuds/lotorslance
Summary: Lotor's never seen what a human cold looks like and when Lance falls ill, it's all he can do but stay at his bedside and comfort him.





	Anything for You

**Author's Note:**

> Please stay clean and hydrated!

When the coughing started, Lotor thought Lance was dying: the panic only worsened when his nose started to dribble.  
  
“I’m fine,” Lance reassured him a near-whisper, voice hoarse from all the hacking that’d occurred within the past few hours, and he reached out to tap the side of Lotor’s head, too dizzy, eyes a little too blurry to be precise. “I just need something to wipe it.”   
  
He’d rushed to get Lance a wet rag from the shower, like the cold one resting atop his head. The human could do nothing but shake his head no and frown a little, and Lotor was gone again, soon returning with what he used for toilet paper.  
  
Lance nodded and took it from him, tearing off a piece and using it to blow his nose, crumpling it up before setting it on the bedside. The Galra hybrid was looking at it with a mix of fear and disgust, and his partner couldn’t help but chuckle, then groan.  
  
It hurt.  
  
He lolled his head back on the pile of pillows Lotor’d stacked up for him, resting his eyes as they felt like they were about to pop out of his head should he cough one more time.   
  
“How could this have happened…”  
  
The self-loathing was clear in the hypothetical question: Lotor always worried so much about him, but his human companion getting sick from a supposedly mainstream vacation planet was the last thing he’d prepared for. They were supposed to be having fun, but Lance somehow caught what he called to be “just a cold, no biggie.”  
  
It hadn’t seemed that big when he’d sneezed for the first time. The surprisingly high-pitched noise’d startled Lotor, but once it happened again, and again, and one more time after that, he found it incredibly endearing.   
  
It seemed a little bigger when Lance was quieter than usual, clearing his throat before speaking or holding back a childish remark that’d been one of the reasons Lotor’d fallen in love with him in the first place.   
  
Then his face got red and at first he’d thought it was something to be prideful over—an effect only he could have on his adorable Paladin when he whispered something provocative in his little round ear—but then Lance complained and he knew something was wrong.   
  
He’d crafted as best of a nest as they could manage in their hotel room. He’d even requested extra blankets and pillows, an ample amount of which were provided without question.   
  
Lance would go from being too hot, to too cold, to fine for just a few minutes. They passed the time by playing Lance’s handheld game and Lotor telling stories of his time in exile.   
  
But right about then is where the coughing started and he was in a frenzy, despite how much the other begged him to calm down.   
  
“I was probably exposed to some _—cough—_ weird alien germ that made me— _cough, cough._ ” He gave up there and it was all right; Lotor knew what meant.   
  
“Don’t speak, Love,” he carefully adjusted the leaking, cold rag on his forehead, “Though I do adore hearing your voice…”   
  
It wasn’t often that Lance shut up, but he could barely speak even if he wanted to. The thought plagued not only himself, but Lotor, who so missed his Paladin’s every word: the way he hummed and shook his hips, when he made a very human joke that he had to explain but it was still funny, when he told him everything that was on his mind…  
  
“If I was with the Paladins—,” he was able to choke it down this time, “—I’d be in one’uh those…”   
  
‘I know,’ he wanted to say, ducking his head with regret, ‘I’m sorry.’ But he couldn’t say those words—Lance’d reminded him very persistently each time that it was his choice to take a break from Voltron; Lotor didn’t steal him away, as much as the others would like to claim as such.   
  
Zarkon was defeated and Lotor had taken his place as Emperor of the New Unified Universe. While ruler by title, he hadn’t actually done much yet, a little too busy whisking his pretty blue star all across it and spoiling him as much as he’d tolerate, which wasn’t much: Lance was a giver by nature.   
  
“…pods.”   
  
That was a delayed continuation: Lotor quickly shifted his eyes back to Lance, whose eyes had fluttered shut, still breathing a bit heavily but looking a little more relaxed. Then he started coughing again and lurched up, the rag tumbling to his side as he half-sneezed, half-coughed, wincing in pain.   
  
Lotor’s chest physically ached and if he could take away Lance’s pain there for him, he would in a tick. Reaching forward a bit hesitantly, he pushed back his dark bangs, holding them back with affection. It gave him a good look at his face and while his cheeks and nose were bright red, drowsy eyes were heavily bagged, and mouth was hanging open with a bit of drool in the corner, Lance was still the most beautiful being Lotor had ever laid eyes on and he felt lucky.  
  
So damn lucky.   
  
“I’m afraid to move you to my ship.”   
  
“Yeah, don’t. I’ll pull a…Hunk.” He blinked at Lotor, who smiled gently back at him and laid him back down on the pillows, understanding he was about to fall asleep. After a few coughs, he seemed to settle in and reached over for Lotor’s hand.   
  
He eagerly took hold, squeezing it tight.  
  
“Hey, man…thanks.”   
  
Lotor closed his eyes, using his free hand to push back his cowlick, despite how it so energetically popped back to its usual spot in front of his face. He savored the words in his mind, replaying them over and over until he thought he heard a little snore.   
  
_“Anything for you.”_

The words were in Altean but somehow Lance, in his stupor, could still understand what they meant just by the Emperor's tone and he cracked a little smile. 


End file.
